Political Quotes

“I want to thank my colleague from the State of Washington for allowing me to have the opportunity to participate in this Special Order. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the communities and the residents of west central Indiana to share our experience with the Endangered Species Act. As an animal scientist and a farmer, I am a lifelong conservationist. I value the well-intentioned effort of the ESA to protect and conserve our Nation's most iconic species that define our landscapes and have shaped our heritage. Instead, however, I have repeatedly found myself discouraged with the implementation of this important act. As I shared here on the House floor a few weeks ago, Lakes Freeman and Shafer, near Monticello, Indiana, have been a popular tourist destination. It has been home to many small businesses, attractions, and a vibrant local economy for generations of Hoosiers. Unfortunately, though, a series of droughts and a tangle of bureaucratic red tape involving the ESA has made a devastating impact on this community. Following a listing on the endangered species list more than a decade ago of mussels found in the Tippecanoe River, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service subsequently ordered a new higher volume of water to consistently flow out of the Oakdale Dam that forms Lake Freeman, in an effort to preserve these now-protected mussels. This executive action by unelected bureaucrats has crippled our once-thriving community.…”